The CFTU is a volunteer organization composed of foreign teachers working in China dedicated to promoting creative and progressive education as well as protecting the interests of foreign teachers in China. For a copy of our mission statement please send an email to MS[at]ChinaForeignTeachersUnion.org. All foreign teachers employed in China are encouraged to apply for CFTU membership and enjoy the collective strength and support of your 29,642 expat colleagues now teaching in China.

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Sunday, January 19, 2014

China Foreign Teachers Union: China Foreign Teacher Salaries/Pay Almost Lowest In The World

The Huffington Post has just recently confirmed what we have been complaining about for 2 years - the pay of foreign teachers in China is 40% less than the world average and is not keeping pace with other professions in China. Now only 17 countries pay teachers lower wages in the world than China (Scroll down for charts)

The total population of China has reached 1.45 million. Of this, the economically activepopulation was 785.79 million at the end of 2011. At that time, China’s workforce hit 764.2 million people, with 359.14 million employed in urban and 405 million in rural China. The number of migrant workers stood at 252.78 million, with an increase of 10.55 million from 2010. Among the migrant laborers, about 158.63 million worked outside of their home province. Regarding the sectors, primary industry accounted for 34.8 percent of total employment, while secondary industry represented 29.5 percent, and tertiary industry had a share of 35.7 percent. The unemployment rate in urban China stood at 4.1 percent, and the number of unemployed persons reached 9.2 million. Employment forecasts by the Ministry of Labor project annual growth to average 3.2% per annum over through 2015. Approximately 1.6 million foreigners are employed in China. Of those, foreigners teachers account for 82% with average salaries of 16,500 yuan per month. Average salaries for professional foreigners is 52,000 yuan per month. Currently, expat foreign teachers are the lowest paid foreigners in China.

The above information was obtained from China's Ministry of Labor. The below chart was compiled by independent CFTU research conducted by our volunteer staff over the last six months based on random surveys of 500 ESL teachers working abroad in the countries researched. This may explain why fewer teachers are coming to China. CFTU members can obtain a copy of the complete report by sending an email to admin@ChinaForeignTeachersUnion.org.

2013 ESL Teacher Survey

The numbers above in the left column equate only to average monthly salaries in thousands of USD. The good news is that Chinese society still respects teachers as much as doctors and airline pilots. If only we could pay our mortgages and car payments with prestige!

Below is the average pay of primary school teachers by country as compiled by UBS HR's Department. The first figure represents Annual Gross Income. The second figure represents after-tax income, and the last number represents the hours worked per week.

Amsterdam

$48,400

$32,600

39

Athens

$26,200

$19,400

30

Auckland

$35,700

$30,300

40

Bangkok

$8,300

$8,000

43

Barcelona

$41,300

$31,300

38

Beijing

$11,400

$9,100

40

Berlin

$56,900

$39,800

40

Bogotá

$11,100

$10,200

43

Bratislava

$11,300

$8,900

41

Brussels

$44,000

$26,700

38

Bucharest

$5,600

$4,000

40

Budapest

$8,900

$7,100

40

Buenos Aires

$8,700

$7,100

40

Cairo

$1,600

$1,300

36

Caracas

$10,500

$9,800

36

Chicago

$49,300

$38,500

39

Copenhagen

$86,500

$52,200

38

Delhi

$4,500

$3,900

41

Doha

$22,300

$22,300

47

Dubai

$35,900

$35,900

37

Dublin

$57,100

$45,700

32

Frankfurt

$60,900

$46,100

39

Geneva

$89,600

$66,700

36

Helsinki

$48,000

$33,800

37

Hong Kong

$52,500

$47,800

44

Istanbul

$14,800

$11,000

40

Jakarta

$2,700

$2,600

43

Johannesburg

$17,700

$14,400

40

Kiev

$3,800

$3,500

32

Kuala Lumpur

$10,400

$8,700

35

Lima

$6,300

$5,300

44

Lisbon

$32,000

$23,100

31

Ljubljana

$29,000

$20,500

40

London

$55,700

$39,800

36

Los Angeles

$55,700

$46,600

38

Luxembourg

$113,300

$88,200

26

Lyon

$33,900

$26,700

35

Madrid

$29,100

$22,800

28

Manama

$19,800

$19,600

40

Manila

$3,400

$2,300

43

Mexico City

$8,400

$7,400

40

Miami

$63,500

$51,700

43

Milan

$32,800

$21,800

23

Montreal

$56,700

$38,500

35

Moscow

$11,900

$10,500

40

Mumbai

$3,800

$3,500

36

Munich

$51,200

$38,500

40

Nairobi

$4,000

$3,200

45

New York

$62,900

$50,400

43

Nicosia

$47,400

$40,800

33

Oslo

$61,500

$39,500

36

Paris

$38,700

$29,500

31

Prague

$13,200

$10,700

40

Riga

$8,400

$6,000

40

Rio de Janeiro

$13,700

$12,200

40

Rome

$30,600

$22,100

25

Santiago de Chile

$15,400

$12,300

38

São Paulo

$10,600

$9,500

33

Seoul

$65,400

$44,300

43

Shanghai

$12,200

$10,100

40

Sofia

$4,700

$3,500

34

Stockholm

$46,600

$34,800

40

Sydney

$57,400

$46,200

39

Taipei

$25,600

$23,100

42

Tallinn

$11,400

$9,200

35

Tel Aviv

$20,700

$17,700

40

Tokyo

$78,200

$59,800

44

Toronto

$82,900

$49,900

38

Vienna

$44,700

$31,900

39

Vilnius

$10,500

$8,000

38

Warsaw

$11,900

$8,500

25

Zurich

$104,600

$81,600

42

Here's another easy to read pie chart we "borrowed" from Mercer - the second largest HR company in the world. We also obtained one from Fesco in Chinese but the figures are less than 3% different, so we are not going to post it here. If anyone wants the Fesco chart in Chinese, please send us an email.

And this is from The New York Times...

One Last Chart Compliments Of ExpatArrivals.com (Thank You)

Table of Expat Salaries in China (2011 to 2012)

Industry

Job/Position/Years Experience

Annual Salary (USD)

Annual Salary (RMB)

Accounting/Finance

Chief Financial Officer / 15+ Years

240K

1.5M

Accounting/Finance

Finance or Accounting Manager / 8+ Years

48K

300K

Accounting/Finance

Financial Analyst / 7+ Years

55K

350K

Advertising/Communciations

Media Director / 10+ Years

110K

700K

Advertising/Communciations

Account Manager / 3+ Years

32K

200K

Advertising/Communciations

English Copywriter / 4+ Years

44K

280K

Banking/Financial Services

Top-Level Positions / 10+ Years

190K+

1.2M+

Banking/Financial Services

Mid-Level and Junior Positions / 3+ Years

48 to 110K

300 to 700K

Education

ESL Teacher / 0 Years

7K

44K

Education

ESL Teacher / 3+ Years

8K

50K

Human Resources

Manager / 6+ Years

80K

500K

IT/Telecommunications

Project Manager / 8+ Years

80 to 140K

500 to 900K

IT/Telecommunications

Developer / 7+ Years

95K

600K

Legal

International Law Firm / 6+ Years PQE

205K

1.3M

Legal

In-House Corporate Lawyer / 6+ Years

95K

600K

Property/Construction

Architect / 5+ Years

80K

500K

Property/Construction

Project Manager / 8+ Years

110K

700K

Property/Construction

Engineer / 5+ Years

22K

140K

Sales/Marketing

Managing Director / 20+ Years

315K+

2M+

Sales/Marketing

Mid-Level Manager / 7+ Years

48 to 110K

300 to 700K

Sales/Marketing

Front Office Manager / 5+ Years

36K

230K

*Note further that these are aggregated amounts of an average expat salary in the private sector in China: if you work for a small firm or company, expect to earn a little less; if you work for a large firm or company (or better yet, a foreign company), expect to earn a little more. The amounts quoted also assume a fair amount of relevant work experience – as a foreign worker in China, a minimum of 8 years is preferred.

Saving potential for expats in China...

For many expats, the question of whether or not to emigrate to China will depend on their saving potential – i.e. how much money they can 'bank' at the end of every month, after paying tax and covering accommodation and living expenses.

For highly qualified and skilled expats, this is not so much of a concern, with about 25 percent of expats in China earning in the region of USD 200K a year. For those seeking mid-level employment in China, however, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

Although China's cost of living is famously low – with youthful ESL teachers known to live on about RMB 3,500 (USD 500) per month – your expat salary package remains very important. Try to negotiate the best possible deal for yourself, as often the 'perks' of your contract will decide whether a move to China is financially viable for you or not.

Although many Chinese employers won't provide an accommodation stipend, some will. You're doing well if they offer you something in the region of RMB 9,000 (USD 1,500) per month.

Health insurance for foreign workers in China is quite expensive, and if this is provided in your salary package, it will save you at least RMB 1,300 (USD 200) per month.

The issue of whether or not the company will provide for education expenses is often the 'deal-breaker' for expat families planning a move to China. The price of good-quality international education is astronomical – as much as RMB 1.2M (USD 200K) per year in the most extreme cases.

Bear in mind, too, that most expats will be taxed around 20% of their monthly salary in China, but that this can rise to 40% for high earners.

Note that as a foreign worker in China, you will be expected to work very hard for your money, and that the intensity of the Chinese workplace can be a bit overwhelming for some expats.

Remember that although working in China might not be as financially rewarding as working in other expat destinations, such as the Middle East or Russia, there are some wonderful cultural benefits to such an adventure. China is at the forefront of global economic development, and there are many exciting things happening within the country to attract ambitious professionals. Also, the opportunity to learn a bit of Mandarin is widely reported by expats to be one of the most valuable aspects of working in China.

Also all three of the above scam recruiters are using MANY different names and web sites trying to evade bad publicity and trying to "affiliate" themselves with the Chinese government by saying they are either "part of the Ministry of Education" or "endorsed by SAFEA". These are blatant lies as confirmed by the Ministry of Education and SAFEA (call or email themselves if you have any doubts)

My daughter is considering a two and one half month internship offered at the "Nanchang Dynamic English World" school. As a parent, of course, my primary concern is her safety and welfare. I have been unable to find any references, address or phone number for this school. Are you, perhaps, aware of it? Is a reputable school? I am simply concerned given the great distance between the United States and China. Any help you might offer will be appreciated. Thank you.

We have received two complaints about this this school but upon investigation, the teachers making the complaints were not very credible and were just bitter about being fired for chronic tardiness. Other than this, we have no other file on this school. Please have your daughter give us her feedback if she accepts the job and be sure she gets sponsored for a Z visa from the onset and does not go to China to work with any other visa. If she does have a problem, have her contact us at help@chinaforeignteachersunion.org

I'm looking for information about "Best Learning" ("<-that" dot cn for their website) as they are on the Dirty Dozen list, but I can't seem to find any information on them here on the Union. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

NOTICE TO ALL: It is absolutely false that you must have a TEFL certificate in order to teach in China. Some unethical recruiters have been spreading this false rumor so they can peddle some expensive TEFL courses and collect a commission.

We have just received proof that Echinacities.com is selling their resumes to third party recruiters as confirmed by an employee of Gteachers.org. Although there is a China Privacy Law that prohibits this without your approval. Although it MAY help expedite you getting a job, our concern is that we have no clue how many identity thieves posing as job recruiters may also be buying these resumes wholesale. We urge you to either avoid responding to job ads posted at Echinacities.com or be extremely cautious not to include your full name, photo, or passport information when responding to those ads. The unfortunate thing is that you cannot apply for a real job at ECC without authorizing them to publicly post your resume on line.

The recent news of of the PSB crackdown may be a blessing a disguise. With over 2,000 foreign teachers recently arrested and deported for wrong visas and fake diplomas creates a critical shortage of qualified teachers. You may therefore be justified in asking for a 30% raise at this time. Think about it. It is all a matter of supply and demand!

Hello! Could you give any feedback on Tianjin international language and test centre? They claim to be a part of Tianjin University (TJU). However they email through tjuniedu at 163.com. When I request to provide the ministry of education registration number, they give me a link to the university website. They are persuading me to apply for F visa for the time of a three month internship and then promise to sign a labour contract and get a work visa. The invitation I have received from them looks official and is fine language wise. I would really appreciate your help. Regards

URGENT! - Do not send nor upload another resume for any China job unless and until you read this http://ChinaScamWatch.wordpress.com Please remember that 1 in every 5 China job recruiters are identity thieves. To avoid being ripped off, avoid using recruiters to find you a job and if you insist on using one, at least read this here: http://scam-detector.com/forums/forum/employment-scams/192-3-ways-to-avoid-a-china-job-scam-recruiter-for-esl-tefl-ap-foreign-teachers?_=1417793688522

Be careful with this e-mail tjuniedu@163.com and phone number +86 22 2331 6282. There are some people acting on behalf of Tianjin University. They "hire" people for exhibition image spokeswoman position, but in reality they have nothing to do with this University and maybe deal with human traffic, prostitution and so on. They offended me in their letters in political, moral and personal way. After i warned them abt my intention to find out the truth and punish them, they said the following:

"... This will constitute the crime of defamation by law and you will have to assume the corresponding criminal liability for that.You are quite young, so we want to offer you a well-intentioned warning. And if you receive summon from China's Criminal Court, everything will be too late. We are a college, totally different from what you defamed us on line---the company of human traffickers and prostitution. Only your defamation can cause you 3 years in prison in China. Moreover, we will call to account your civil compensation responsibility, which is huge. At the same time, please inform your teacher that although he is in China, yet he knows nothing about China’s national condition......This is our last warning. The world now is operating on the premise of cooperation, whereas you choose the opposite way, regardless of the consequence. Please consider this. Haven’t you felt that your country and government are getting more and more powerless.During the last month only, your currency depreciation has almost doubled and so has your commodity price. Haven’t you noticed that your bread price is soaring? At the same time, for a college like us that has over 40,000 students, we have corresponding method, strategy and experience in handling such affairs.Therefore, it is wise for you to make the choice to go abroad. (When your President leaves office, then everything could be better. And then when you return to your country, you can buy a house in Moscow with the money you earned. But if you see this recruitment as hostility, then you will obtain just the same thing.) After half a month (in 2015), the US and Europe will cut off your… At that time, both the finance and currency of your country will collapse. This reminds me of the year 1991 when 1 RMB can exchange 1000 ruble. And back then many of the staff doing the chores, such as wiping the floor and washing vegetable, was from Russian because your labor price was so low. But from another more meaningful point of view, we did offer them a means to survive and not let them suffer from hunger ......However, unfortunately, the European countries always shut the door upon your face. Now, what you can do is to ally with those “developed countries” such as North Korea, Venezuela, Belarus, Iran and Syria. So it is right for you to leave your country and we respect you for that. However, you shouldn’t defame us with wicked speech. Therefore we need to remind you that such activity of yours is very dangerous which can put you into prison and call to account your civil compensation, but the final judge will be made by the court. Once the court sentences you, then you will receive the “red notice” from Lyon Interpol headquarters, which will bring you great trouble.Cristina "

Be careful with this e-mail tjuniedu@163.com and phone number +86 22 2331 6282. There are some people acting on behalf of Tianjin University. They "hire" people for exhibition image spokeswoman position, but in reality they have nothing to do with this University and maybe deal with human traffic, prostitution and so on. They offended me in their letters in political, moral and personal way. After i warned them abt my intention to find out the truth and punish them, they said the following:

"... This will constitute the crime of defamation by law and you will have to assume the corresponding criminal liability for that.You are quite young, so we want to offer you a well-intentioned warning. And if you receive summon from China's Criminal Court, everything will be too late. We are a college, totally different from what you defamed us on line---the company of human traffickers and prostitution. Only your defamation can cause you 3 years in prison in China. Moreover, we will call to account your civil compensation responsibility, which is huge. At the same time, please inform your teacher that although he is in China, yet he knows nothing about China’s national condition......This is our last warning. The world now is operating on the premise of cooperation, whereas you choose the opposite way, regardless of the consequence. Please consider this. Haven’t you felt that your country and government are getting more and more powerless.During the last month only, your currency depreciation has almost doubled and so has your commodity price. Haven’t you noticed that your bread price is soaring? At the same time, for a college like us that has over 40,000 students, we have corresponding method, strategy and experience in handling such affairs.Therefore, it is wise for you to make the choice to go abroad. (When your President leaves office, then everything could be better. And then when you return to your country, you can buy a house in Moscow with the money you earned. But if you see this recruitment as hostility, then you will obtain just the same thing.) After half a month (in 2015), the US and Europe will cut off your… At that time, both the finance and currency of your country will collapse. This reminds me of the year 1991 when 1 RMB can exchange 1000 ruble. And back then many of the staff doing the chores, such as wiping the floor and washing vegetable, was from Russian because your labor price was so low. But from another more meaningful point of view, we did offer them a means to survive and not let them suffer from hunger ......However, unfortunately, the European countries always shut the door upon your face. Now, what you can do is to ally with those “developed countries” such as North Korea, Venezuela, Belarus, Iran and Syria. So it is right for you to leave your country and we respect you for that. However, you shouldn’t defame us with wicked speech. Therefore we need to remind you that such activity of yours is very dangerous which can put you into prison and call to account your civil compensation, but the final judge will be made by the court. Once the court sentences you, then you will receive the “red notice” from Lyon Interpol headquarters, which will bring you great trouble.Cristina "

This is not true. First of all most "teachers" are not qualified in their own countries and just have a TEFL/TESOL. Even so, a person could easily make over $40K a year in the big cities with some private tutoring and freelance work on the side, perhaps $50K.

Do you have any information on a kindergarten in the huilongguan area changping district named 'Ivy Child School'? it's the most expensive in the area for child fees. I was wondering is this school legit? as the salary they are offering is very low ( 9000) with accomadation.

Age discrimination in China is normal. It's not accepted in civilized countries in the world, but it's Okay here. Shame on the Education Ministry. But then again, students from the Cultural Revolution are in control of the Education Ministry. This kind of ignorance should not be tolerated, but it should be expected.

Good Day I registered on a website called foreignerhr.com. I was contacted by a woman called Rosie and offered a contract. However the contract states that I should come to China on an L visa and then before the visa expires the company will apply for my Z visa. I do not have a bachelor's degree only diplomas, can I still apply for the Z visa before getting to China. Also I need to know if foreignerghr.com is legitimate. Thanks

Hi. Is it true that if a school doesn't want you to come back the next year they have to provide you written notice before March 31st and failure to do that means they have to pay you for the remainder or your contract? If so how does this work if you have a 2 year contract? Do they have to pay you for the additional school year as well?

I know that my principal wants me to not return next year but I haven't been given a letter to not return and I still have another year on my contract.

Does anybody have any information about the e-mail jobs2@goldenladder.com.cn? I already verified that Golden Ladder Culture Communication from Shenzhen exists, but I need to verify if the person who wrote me really works for them and he's not somebody acting in their name, before sending any document. Thank you.

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I am the administrator of this blog who will try to keep all comments civil, and on point. All comments here must be made in English. I can be contacted at: Admin[at]ChinaForeignTeachersUnion.org I am one of the 5 board members of the CFTU.